BRAINCAKEGravitational Potential Energy
In order to escape a planet's gravitational pull, a rocket's engine must do work when it rises from the surface of a planet. The work done by the engine is transferred to the gravitational potential energy of the engine which increases as the rocket rises.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Gravitational potential
- The work done per unit mass to move a small test mass from infinity to a point in a gravitational field; it is zero at infinity and negative everywhere else.
More in Gravitational Fields
- Gravitational Fields.
- The Strength of a Gravitational Field.
- Free fall in a gravitational field.
- The Earth's gravitational field
- Gravitational Potential
- Equipotentials.
- The Potential Gradient.
- Newton's Law of Gravitation.
All 14 lessons in Gravitational Fields · All AQA A-level Physics topics